UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Lion's Pantry, the student-run food pantry at Penn State's University Park campus, will host four events this fall for anyone who wants to see the space, meet the student team or learn more about food insecurity at Penn State.
Two open houses will be held at the Lion Pantry's facility at 133 Bluebell Road, and two panel discussions will be held online through Microsoft Teams. All four events are free and open to students, faculty, staff and community members.
The open houses are drop-in although registration is encouraged. Guests can walk through the pantry, see how it is stocked and organized, and talk with student volunteers and executive board members about shopping, volunteering and hosting a food drive.
- Open house: 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, at the Lion's Pantry, 133 Bluebell Road
- Open house: 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at the Lion's Pantry, 133 Bluebell Road
The virtual panels bring the conversation online for an hour, with Pantry leadership discussing operations, impact, and how the community can support the pantry. Participants can ask questions during the session. Preregistration is required.
- Virtual panel: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28, via Microsoft Teams
- Virtual panel: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, via Microsoft Teams
The Lion's Pantry provides free food and household supplies to anyone with a valid Penn State ID who may be facing food insecurity, including students, faculty, and staff. Over the past academic year, the pantry logged nearly 17,000 visits, served more than 2,300 unique guests and distributed more than 130,000 food and household items.
"A lot of people don't realize the pantry is run by students, for students. Coming to an open house is the easiest way to see what we actually do,” said Lauren Kim, president of the Lion’s Pantry. “You can walk the aisles, ask us anything and figure out how you want to interact with the Pantry, whether that's shopping, joining the club or hosting a food drive.”
The pantry relies on donations throughout the year rather than seasonal drives. It accepts unopened, unexpired and nonperishable food and household products at the delivery door behind the building during open hours or by reserving a drop off time on the Lion Pantry’s SignUpGenius page.
For those without transportation, the campus shuttle stops near the pantry, and free parking passes are available for the Ada Katz lot. Details can be found on the Lion Pantry's website.
Fall open hours are posted on the Lion's Pantry website and on Instagram at @psulionspantry. Questions can be directed to thelionspantry@psu.edu.